Using Virtual Reality to Investigate Empathy-Related Processes In Response to Infant Crying
Virtual reality (VR) offers innovative opportunities research empathy-related processes in controlled, immersive environments (Riva et al., 2016). This presentation highlights how VR can be leveraged to examine responses to infant crying, a distress signal that elicits emotional and physiological processes in caregivers (Zeifman, 2003). By simulating infant crying scenarios, VR permits assessing empathy responses in real-time while minimizing ethical and logistical challenges of observing such processes in naturalistic settings (Slater, 2017). This presentation will present the design of a VR setup that simulates infant crying with integrated real-time self-report ratings for empathic concern and personal distress. Additionally, biometric correlates (e.g., heart rate variability and pupil dilation) will be measured to corroborate self-report data. Implications for understanding empathy in caregiving will be discussed. This research bridges developmental science and technology to inform interventions that enhance caregiver sensitivity.